Electrical connection



E. Al HAWTHORNE.

ELECTRICAL CONNECT|0N.

APPLICATION FILED ma. I4. I9Ia.

m I .L I a, Q I w m E E. A. HAWTHORNE.

.ELECTRICAL CONNECTION.

APPLICATION HLED FEB.14. |918.

Patenasept. 21,1920.l

ELLSWOBTH A. HAWTHORNE, 0F BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT.

ELECTRICAL CONNECTION.

Specification of Letters Patent..

Patented Sept. 21, 1920.

Application led February 14, 1918. Serial No. 217,043.

To all whom t may concem:

Be it known that I, ELLSWORTH A. HAW- THORNE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Bridgeport, in the county of Fairfield and State of Connecticut, have invented an .Improvement in Electrical Connections, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like characters on the drawings representing like parts.

This invention relates to electrical connections, and is more especially, though not exclusively, concerned with a socket connection for electric lamps, although the invention is by no means restricted to use in lamps, but is susceptible of general application.

My invention will be best understood by reference to the following description, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings of two specific embodiments thereof, while its scope will be more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a central, longitudinal sectional view of a lamp equipped with an electrical connection embodying my inven` tion;

Fig. 2 is a central, vertical, longitudinal sectional view, on an enlarged scale, of the electrical connection and the focusing device of the lamp;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view on line 3-3 of Fig. 2; F ig. 4 is a sectional view on line 4-4 of Fig. 5 is a sectional view, similar to Fig. 4, but showing a slight modification, for use in connection with what is known as a single wire lighting system;

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of another form of electrical connection embodying my invention, showing the samel equipped with an electric bulb; V

Fig. 7 is a sectional view on line 7-7 of Fig. 6;

Fig. right-hand side of Fig. 6; and

ig. 9 is an elevation, similar to Fig. 8, but showing a slight modification, to adapt the same to a two-wire. lighting system.

Referring to the drawings, and to the embodiments of my invention which I have shown for the purposes of eXemplification, and referring first more particularly to Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive, I have there shown 8 is an elevation, viewed from they a common form of electric lamp, comprising a lamp casing 10, having a reflector 11, sepa-` rated from said casing by a space 12, forming a chamber adapted to receive any one of the electrical connections hereinafter described either of which connections may be equipped with an incandescent electric bulb 13, asso* ciated with said reflector. In the present exs ample, aS a means for focusing the bulb with relation to the reflector, I have shown focusing means, which forms the subject matter of a pending application. Such focusing means herein comprises a focusing rod 14, which is appropriately connected to the bulb as hereinafter described` and extends in a rearward `direction through the casing 10. As a means for securing the rod in the desired position, I have provided a nut 15, secured to the casing 10,l and threaded to receivea clamping screw 16, the latter being provided-with one or more longitudinal slots 17 to render the same expansible and contractible, and being provided with a ta ered portion 18, to engage a corresponding y .ta-

pered seat 19 in the nut 15. By turning the` of my present invention, but is shown and described because of its association with and adaptation to the electrical connections which I will now describe.

The bulb 13, herein shown, is of the well-known Ediswan type, the same being provided with a base 21, having laterally projecting pins 22, to engage bayonet slots 23 in a socket member 24, the latter forming a part of the connection. Lamps and con. nections of this type are of two styles, one for single wire and the other for double wire systems. The form shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 4, is of the two-wire style, while that shown in the modification in Fig. 5 is for a single-wire system, the essential difference between the two being that one has two ter- 'minals to which two conducting wires are shown a pair of conducting wires 25, which may be and are herein provided with suitable terminals 26, which extend into channels 27 in an insulating member 28, within which they ,are connected to suitable contacts. lln the present example, these contacts are of common form, and comprise springpressed plungers 29, mounted to slide in plunger-guides 30, which inclose usual springs 31, acting in a familiar manner to press their respective plungers in an outward direction into engagement with the terminals of the lamp base, or other de- -vice which occupies the socket 24. Preferably, the plunger guides 30 are directly attached to the terminals 26, by providing said guides with reduced portions 32, passing through said terminals, and headed over to form rivets. By this means, it is impossible for the terminals to become detached from the plunger guides. rlhis arrangement, moreover, is a factor in attaching the plunger guides to the insulating member 28, as will presently appear.

In the present example, the insulating member 23 is provided with a boss 33, extending into the socket member 24, and is provided with holes 34 to receive the plunger guides 30. Preferably, the channels 27 are closed by a second insulating member 35, thus efectually insulating the conductors, and preventing any danger of short circuits.

As a means for securing the socket member, the insulating members, and the conducting members, together, l have herein provided a simple form of clamping means comprising a clamping plate 36, threaded to receive one or more clamping screws 37, which extend through the insulating members 28 and- 35, and also through a second clamping member 38, the latter being herein in the form of an integral flange formed on the socket member 24. As a means for insuring correct assembling of the parts, l have herein provided the insulating member 28 with a plurality of bosses 39 located in apertures 40 in the flange 38, and have provided said insulating member with a plurality of bosses 41, extending through apertures 42 and 43 in the parts 35 and 36, respectively, as best shown in Fig. 4.

lt should now be evident that it is aneasy matter to assemble the parts rapidly, and yet without error, and nally to secure them together, by simply inserting the clamping screws 37 and tightening them. thereby clamping all the parts firmly together'.

`When once united, there is no danger of .accidental separation of the parts, nor is there any danger of short circuiting. rllhe parts may be readily dismounted, however, at anytime, by simply removing the 'clamping screws 37, whereupon the conducting elements may be entirely removed from 4limited neither to isser/ie the insulating member 28, and the latter removed from the socket member 24.

Referring now to the second form of my inventionillustrated in Figs. 6, 7, 8 and 9, ll have there shown an electrical connection comprising a socket 44, to receive an insulating member 45, in which is mounted a plunger uide 46, having a spring-pressed plunger 4 working therein. rl`he insulating member 45, in this example, is provided with a laterally-extending channel 48, to receive a conducting wire 49, the latter having its terminal portion 50 secured to the plunger guide 46 in any suitable manner, as by providing the latter with a hole 51, to receive the wire. The latter may be soldered in place in the hole, if desired.

As a means for securing the insulating member 45 in the socket 44, and for securing the plunger guide 46 and wire 49 in place in said insulating member, in the present instance, l have provided a plurality of clamping screws 52, extending through a clamping plate 53, into flanges 54, formed on the socket member, as best shown in Fig. 6. As a means to limit the inward movement of the insulating member 45 in the socket member 44, l have herein provided the latter with sutable abutments 55, against which the inner end of the insulating member is brought. By this means, the parts are securely clamped together. Preferably, a second insulating member 56 is interposed between 'the clamping plate 53 and the Hanges 54, thus closing the channel 48, except at its entrance, where the conducting wire 49 leads into the insulating member. llt desired, the socket member 44 may be indented, as at 57, to retain the insulating member 45 in place, but ll have :found in 'practice that this is not necessary, as the parts are very securely held together by the described clamping means. The omission of the indentation has the further advantage of permitting the part-s to be readily dismounted, and reassembled at will.

Referring now to Fig. 9, which shows a slight modification of the form illustrated in Figs. 6, 7 and 8, the construction is precisely the same as that just described, encept that l have provided two sets of conductors including wiresI 49y andplunger guides 46, the same as those just described in connection with Figs. 6, 7 and 8, thereby to adapt the connection to a' two-wire sysA tem.

While l' have herein shown and described two forms or embodiments ot my invention, and` have disclosed and described in detail the construction and arrangement incidental' to two specic applications thereof, it is to be understoodthat my invention is the embodiments herein shown, nor to the mere details or relative arrangement of parts, but that extensive deviations from the illustrated forms or embodiments of the: invention may be made,

without departing from the principles thereof. Y

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire by Letters Patent to secure is:

1. In a device of the class described, the combination of a socket member, an insulating member extending into said socket member and provided with a lengthwise bore and a transverse channel, a terminal mounted in said bore, a conductor extending into said channel and connected rto said terminal, an insulating member overlying said channel,v and menas to secure said insulating members together thereby to hold said terminal in said bore and said conductor in said channel.

2. In a device of the class described, the combination of a socket member, an insulating member extending into said socket member and provided with a lengthwise bore and a transverse channel, a terminal mounted in said bore, a conductor extending into said channel and connected to said terminal, an insulating member overlying said channel, and means including a clamping member and clamping screw to secure said insulating members together thereby to hold said terminal in said bore and said conductor in said channel.-

3. In a ldevice of the class described, the combination of a socket member provided with a lateral flange, an insulating member extending into said socket member and provided with a lengthwise bore and a transverse channel, va terminal mounted in said bore, a conductor' extending into said channel and connected to said terminal, an insulating member overlying said channel, land means extending into said flange to secure said insulating members together thereby to hold said terminal in said bore and said conductor in said channel.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

ELLSWORTH A. HAWTHORNE. 

